mavis fodness

Laura Richters of Luverne is a scrapbooking marvel.
Last month at the Rock County Fair, Laura was sitting comfortably in a folding chair with a computer set up in her lap. She was archiving yet another family event.
“This is my passion,” she told me several months ago.
It’s a passion she started...

By Mavis Fodness
Someone likens the feeling of turning 50 to that of a youth mastering riding a bike without training wheels.
Remember the feeling of freedom and independence?
That feeling has been building inside me for the past half century. It becomes official on Saturday. I will be 50....

One benefit of being a reporter is the role of quiet observer in a community — following events but not interfering with the news as it unfolds.
A story assignment in Jasper two years ago is one such event. The experiences of one family have left a lasting impression, and I continue to follow...

Last summer my family unknowingly fostered a Canada goose.
I last wrote about how Gary came to us as a duckling, but as he (or she) grew, it was obvious he was not a duck.
The yellow and gray fuzzy ball developed beautiful gray, white and black feathers, and my husband, Bryan, taught Gary how to...

An activity traditionally used to keep children busy is making its way into adult hands and eventually into my own hands in the not too distant future.
Call me strange, but I have loved poking through the various pens, pencils and crayons in the office supply aisles. The purchase of new markers...

Last week Minnesota farmers tied a 30-year record for the most soybean acres planted in a single week.
That follows the pace set by corn planting the previous week when corn producers had the second-highest acres planted in 30 years, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics...

Rock County Commissioners accepted the lower of two bids for second-phase construction of Rock County Rural Water’s expansion and improvement project.
Project organizers conducting the bid opening called into question whether or not one of the bids could be considered in the final award.
Bids...

Experiences often shape who we are and define what we become in life.
No one knows that better than Juan Carreon, a 19-year-old I met for the first time during his graduation ceremony on April 15.
The informal afternoon gathering at Pizza Ranch was full of smiles, congratulatory conversations and...